Wǒ ài nǐ
by MissLogophile
Summary: When Chat Noir comes up with the bright idea to confess to Ladybug in Chinese, of all things, little does he know that she may know more about this particular language than he thinks. After all, she is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl with a half-Chinese background. But how was Adrien to know that? Aligned with season 2, so may contain possible spoilers. Enjoy, R&R!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

"Wǒ ài nǐ."

.

.

"I beg your pardon?" the masked superheroine in spots glanced towards her partner at this odd declaration, only half-concentrating as the two of them ran towards the akuma wreaking havoc a few streets away. "What did you say?"

Panting, her superhero partner observed her with a strange expression on his face, but he chose not to elaborate. "Never mind. It's nothing important," he raised his voice a little louder so as to ensure she heard him.

Ladybug would have liked to question him further, because that certainly didn't sound like _nothing,_ but there was an akuma to defeat. Shrugging off the sudden déjà vu that had come over her at Chat Noir's words, she turned her full attention towards the scene of their latest akuma battle instead.

She could find out what he meant later.

.

.

.

.

"Pound it!"

The duo exchanged their trademark fist bump as once again, the akumatized person was freed from Hawkmoth's evil influence. Now that her responsibility was complete, Ladybug turned towards Chat Noir, intending to question him about his cryptic words earlier.

"Chat? What were you trying to say earlier-?

Chat Noir's eyes widened as he, too, recalled what he had been trying to communicate. Sudden bravado gone as the adrenaline of the battle wore off, he was at a loss as to what to actually say.

"Uhh, it's nothing. Really. In fact, I-I've even forgotten about what I was going to say."

"Okay," Ladybug regarded her partner a little sceptically as he attempted to dissuade her from the topic.

"It was just a pun, Milady." He tried that particular ruse, knowing her reactions towards his puns.

"Then I most certainly do not want to know." She smirked.

Chat Noir tried to smile, but the words hung heavy at his heart.

Their miraculous' beeped and the situation was forgotten temporarily.

"Gotta go. Bye, Chat!"

"See you, Milady!" He called out. As he watched her disappear over the skyline, he couldn't help but whisper softly, "What I was trying to say…. was… _I love you_ …"

* * *

The rest of the day was relatively normal for Marinette. She grumbled as she did her Physics homework, squealed as she talked about Adrien on the phone with Alya, and even managed to get a little bit of designing work done.

Tikki flew up to Marinette as the latter was humming along to one of Clara Nightingale's songs on her computer. "Marinette?"

"What is it, Tikki?" the girl spun around as the chorus of the song started and Tikki dodged her flailing arms. _Don't you stop dancing to the music!_

Tikki patiently waited for the song to finish. Normally, she would be dancing along too, but she had to get this off her chest.

"Gosh, I _love_ this song," Marinette sighed happily as she leaned over her computer chair to mute the video. "Now, Tikki, I am all attention." She saluted the little kwami and giggled.

Her giddiness faded a little when Tikki didn't respond, looking strangely serious.

She cupped her hands gently around Tikki, instantly worried. "What's wrong, Tikki? Are you sick? Should I bring you to Master Fu?"

"Marinette, calm down!" Tikki consoled her almost-hyperventilating charge. "I'm fine!"

Marinette exhaled in relief. "Sorry," she said sheepishly.

Tikki shook her head fondly, floating out of her holder's hands. "Marinette, do you remember what Chat Noir said to you before the fight?"

"Yeah, that? I barely remember it," the girl scrunched up her face in confusion. "What about it?"

"Nothing, really," Tikki said thoughtfully. _She really doesn't know…_

Marinette pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "What is _with_ all the secrecy today?" she huffed, annoyed.

"Marinette! Time for dinner!"

"Okay, Maman! I'm coming!"

She promised to bring Tikki some cookies after dinner, as usual, then headed downstairs.

.

.

.

After dinner was finished, Marinette grabbed the promised cookies, and wished her parents goodnight. "Good night, Papa! Good night, Maman!"

"Good night, sweetheart."

"Wǒ ài nǐ." Sabine added affectionately.

"Love you too," Marinette replied absently, starting up the stairs.

That's when everything went _down._

Marinette suddenly froze and turned around in shock. "Uh, what?" she squeaked. "What did you say, Maman?"

 _That sounded like- but it couldn't-_

Sabine looked at her in confusion. " _W_ _ǒ_ _ài n_ _ǐ_?" When Marinette didn't reply, she added, "I love you? In Chinese?"

 _Oh my gosh._

 ** _Oh. My. gosh._**

"That's what he was trying to say…" Marinette realized aloud.

"Who?" Tom looked up at his daughter on the staircase. Confusion and puzzlement were evident on both his and Sabine's faces. "Marinette, dear, are you alright?" both her parents asked, slightly concerned.

And just like that, the secret superheroine snapped back to reality. " _Ohh!_ Yes, I'm fine, I'm fine, don't worry!" She plastered on a fake grin, though her stomach was fluttering. "I just forgot what that meant, that's all."

Before they could question her further, she hurriedly ran up to her room.

.

.

" _Tikki!"_ she squealed as she burst in, startling the reposing kwami. "Chat Noir- he said- he said-" she tried to get the words out and failed.

"I love you?" Tikki supplied helpfully. "I was wondering how you didn't realize it earlier." At Marinette's dumbfounded look, she blinked her eyes. "What? We kwamis know almost all the languages existing in the world. And many that do not exist currently as well."

She paused, then smiled innocently. "Chat Noir is quite the charmer, isn't he?"

"I just- he- er- gah!" Marinette spluttered indignantly, her face a bright red. "He's not! _Tikki!"_ she whined at the giggling kwami.

Suddenly, realization dawned upon her and she sobered down. "What do I do now? I mean, for all he knows, I may not happen to know what that means… so should I act like nothing happened? Should I turn him down? But I don't want to hurt him! Urgh! _What do I do?!"_ she clutched at her hair in frustration.

Tikki's smile vanished from her face. "He'll be heartbroken," she said softly, sadness evident in her voice. "He did confess his love, after all."

Guilt burned in Marinette's chest and she suddenly felt sick to the core. "I know, Tikki, but I can't help it. I don't have a choice," she said quietly. "I'll…..try not to hurt him."

She turned out the lights and lay on her bed, staring up at the ceiling.

Chat's earnest voice, uttering the words _W_ _ǒ_ _ài n_ _ǐ_ resounded in her head till she fell asleep.

.

.

.

 _I love you._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

A few days had passed after that incident and Marinette _still_ couldn't work up the nerve to confront Chat Noir.

Every single time she made up her mind to do so, her heart tried to find some or the other excuse to postpone the inevitable. The thought of breaking one of her best friends' heart made her feel extremely uncomfortable and guilty.

 _I can't go on hiding this from him forever. It would be a different thing altogether if I really didn't know what he meant. As it is, I just happen to know and now…. If I don't tell him, it'll be like lying to him! And I hate lying…_

All these thoughts, emotions and feelings kept on playing in a never-ending loop in the worried girl's head, till she heartily wished Chat Noir had never fallen in love with her.

But as quickly as that rather selfish thought came, it was squashed as the girl remembered her own actions towards her partner.

 _How must he have felt while confessing to me…. I wish I had not brushed him off so casually._

It took courage, after all, to reveal one's true feelings for someone, no matter who they were. A courage which she herself didn't have, Marinette thought rather bitterly as an image of her own love came to her mind.

She sighed out loud for the tenth time that day, spurring Alya to nudge her rather roughly in a clear gesture of _What's going on with you?_

But she stubbornly refused to elaborate as she banished away all her errant thoughts and tried to concentrate on her Geography lesson.

 _Today. I'll tell him today. Come what may._

 _._

 _._

Unfortunately, whatever plans she may have had flew out the window as screams sounded outside. "Akuma!"

 _Great,_ she thought resignedly as she raised her hand and requested to use the washroom, barely noticing the blond-haired boy that did the same.

 _Just great._

* * *

Ladybug and Chat Noir reached the scene of action almost at the same time. Greeting each other rather awkwardly, they readied themselves in a battle stance, trying to figure out what kind of akumatized person they had to deal with this time.

"I am Intelligentia!" the akumatized person yelled out as she spotted her adversaries advancing upon her. "And I will drill some common sense into all of you!"

"Intelligentia?" Chat Noir questioned, surprised. "That's new. I wonder what's the story behind this one."

.

.

.

 _Flashback~_

 _"_ _And so, that's how I came to this conclusion," Colette finished her presentation._

 _"_ _That's fine and all but…" her co-workers looked hesitant. "It's kind of difficult to understand. Could you run through that again?"_

 _Colette's mouth twitched but she complied nonetheless. After presenting her research for the second time, she turned with a sigh to her colleagues. "That's why I think we should sponsor this organization."_

 _Her co-workers just looked at each other and shrugged, and her boss stood up. "It's… certainly detailed, but… I think we should stick to what we always do."_

 _"_ _But there's so much benefits for the company if we do it this way!" She protested in disbelief._

 _"_ _Your method is kind of…. complicated," Her boss said reluctantly._

 _"_ _Excuse me," Colette said stiffly as she walked out of the conference room. Once outside, she sank down to the floor in disappointment. "Why can't they understand what I'm trying to say? Why don't they have common sense…."_

 _She barely registered the purple butterfly making a beeline towards her….._

 _._

.

.

"No thanks!" Ladybug called out as she dodged one of Intelligentia's attacks. "My common sense is telling me not to go anywhere near you!"

Chat Noir glanced at her, delighted. "My Lady, that was extremely _astute_ of you!" He winked at her.

Ladybug rolled her eyes with accustomed familiarity. In that moment everything seemed back to normal, their banter the same as usual. _As it should be,_ her mind whispered.

But then she looked over at her partner, who was staring at her intently, searching her eyes for something- she had a niggling feeling she knew what it was- and she remembered, all too soon, what had last passed between them.

The two of them flushed and dragged their eyes away from each other to the scene before them.

"Any idea where the akuma is?" Chat asked, trying to keep his voice as normal as possible.

The spotted heroine ignored the own heaviness in her chest as she expertly dodged another attack and observed the akuma's get-up. Intelligentia wore a long, black gown, reminiscent of a graduation gown with a tassled cap.

"She's holding something in her hand…maybe that's where the akuma is!"

She threw her yo-yo up towards the sky to call for her lucky charm, only to suddenly be tackled to the ground by a pair of strong arms. "LOOK OUT!"

.

.

The duo rolled over and over until they came to a stop, Chat's arms wrapped around Ladybug to prevent her from the worst impact.

"Chat! You got hit! Are you okay?" Ladybug asked frantically, kneeling besides her partner.

Chat sat up with a groan and passed a hand over his eyes. "I…don't know," he admitted. "I feel a bit weird."

He raised his eyes to meet her alarmed blue ones, and suddenly, everything was as clear as day.

His eyes widened as he took in her hair, eyes, and those small freckles that surely no one but he knew about.

 _HOW did I not see it before?_

 _._

Before he could come to terms with what he had just realized, Ladybug jumped to her feet and he found himself automatically following.

He was still a bit dazed as Ladybug called for her lucky charm. He went through the motions of distracting Intelligentia and Cataclysm almost mechanically, his mind whirling around one and one thought only.

.

.

 _Marinette was Ladybug._

* * *

After the battle was over, Ladybug ignored their usual "Pound it!" in favour of checking up on Chat Noir. He had barely said a word after he had been hit, and she was worried.

"Chat Noir? Are you okay?"

His eyes snapped to hers then, and there were so many emotions highlighted in the green irises that Ladybug felt confused. _What was going on?_

The beeping of their Miraculous spurred him to speak. "I'm okay," he replied. _Yeah, right. I just discovered that you are the adorable girl that sits behind me in class so of COURSE I'm okay._

"Are you sure? You look…. strange," Ladybug said, scrutinizing him closely.

Closing his hand over hers, he brought it up to his mouth to press a kiss on it, eyes never leaving hers. Ladybug felt herself automatically blushing at the intensity in them.

"I'm more than okay," he said, eyes boring into hers intently. "I'm _purrfectly_ fine, Ladybug."

"Okay!" Ladybug squeaked out, her voice an octave higher. "I'll be going then! S-See you later!"

As he watched her bright red form disappearing in between the rooftops, Chat Noir smiled sincerely. "Sooner than you think, my Lady. Sooner than you think."

* * *

"Tikki!" Marinette moaned as she trudged up to her room after school. "I didn't even get the chance to _think_ about telling him, let alone _actually_ tell him!"

"Maybe you can-" Tikki began, only to stop suddenly as a _thump_ sounded from above on the balcony. "What was that?" Marinette looked at her, eyes widening slightly in fear.

"I don't know, but stay low, Tikki." Cautiously, Marinette ascended towards the hatch, only to freeze as a series of knocks sounded on it. "What in the-"

.

"Who's there?" She grabbed a pillow from her bed- as if it would be of any help- and waited breathlessly for any further movement.

"It's me, Princess!" A familiar voice answered, and Marinette relaxed ever-so-slightly. Not too much, because _he_ was the last person she wanted to see right now, after all. "Chat Noir?"

.

She nodded at Tikki, then drew in a deep breath, before opening the hatch as Chat Noir moved aside to let her climb up. Always the gentleman, he politely extended a hand for her to take. Grabbing his hand, she pulled herself out on her balcony.

"What are you doing here, Chat Noir? Is there an akuma?" She inquired a bit worriedly, and he hastened to reassure her. "No, no, nothing of the sort," he quickly answered. "I just- I just wanted to talk with you." He rubbed the side of his neck shyly, and she was suddenly taken aback by the familiarity of the gesture.

"Okay," Marinette replied, confused. She looked around uncertainly. "Uhh, if you would like to sit in my recliner-" she motioned awkwardly towards it.

"No, it's fine." He said, and then lapsed into silence. Neither knew quite what to say, and the air became a little strained and awkward.

"Marinette, I'm going to say this straight out, so please listen to me, okay?" Chat Noir suddenly said, catching her off guard with the sincerity of his voice. He looked pleadingly at her.

"O-Okay!" Marinette squeaked out. _Gosh, is that the only word I'm capable of saying today?_

Chat Noir looked nervous as he gathered his thoughts together and attempted to speak. "I know you're Ladybug!" he blurted out desperately.

.

.

The secret superheroine froze.

A million thoughts swirled around in her head as Chat's words hit her full in her face.

"W-What do you mean?" She attempted weakly. "I don't know what you're talking about!" she insisted.

Chat Noir sighed and passed a hand over his face. "I'm not lying. Today, when Intelligentia blasted me with her common sense beam, I- I just knew then." He ducked his head down, suddenly afraid of her reaction.

.

.

A feeling of dread settled in the pit of Marinette's stomach as she began to realize, in horror, that Chat Noir really _was_ serious.

Another silence stretched between them, tense and anxious this time.

It seemed like eternity before Chat Noir spoke up quietly, fiddling with his ring and still not daring to look up at her. "Are you- are you mad at me?"

He peeked up from beneath his bangs as Marinette stepped closer to him, letting out a sigh of resignation. "No, I'm not, kitty," she admitted and Chat Noir felt like soaring into the sky at the familiar nickname. "Really?" He asked hopefully, stepping closer as well.

"It's not your fault,'' she smiled up at him then and he nearly lost it because _omg she was so CUTE._ "It could have been worse, like a normal person finding out. I'd rather you were the one."

She let out a small _eep_ as she was crushed in a hug then, giggling a little lightheadedly. "Happy it's me, kitty?" she teased.

"You have no idea." He replied hoarsely, nearly on the verge of tears, and she felt butterflies fluttering in her stomach. He pulled back to gaze into her eyes, and she nearly gasped from the intensity of his look. "You have no idea how _happy_ I am that it's you, Marinette."

She stepped away from him, clearing her throat as he suddenly turned red and looked at the ground. "That's- uhh- good to hear!"

 _Why am I stuttering? It's only Chat Noir, not Adrien!_ She mentally scolded herself.

 _Adrien…_

She remembered what he had been trying to say that day and gulped. "Chat Noir- that day- you-"

"I love you." He cut her off gently.

Marinette's eyes snapped to his, wide open and startled. "You- really love me?" she whispered.

.

And suddenly, she realized that he didn't even need to say it. She could see it in his eyes, so gentle and tender as they looked into her own. Every single time he took a hit for her, shielded her in the middle of the battle, smirked that annoying grin of his, or called her my Lady- he had proclaimed it a hundred times, and she had never noticed it.

Her eyes dropped to the ground and she fought the wave of tears that threatened to overtake her. "There's- there's someone else I like."

"Is it Adrien?"

His voice was teasing, but the way she snapped up her head, eyes blown wide open in shock- made him pause.

"You- you- really like him?"

His voice was incredulous and surprised.

She didn't even need to confirm it. Her whole body language practically screamed it out for her.

Chat Noir's eyes widened.

 _The way she would stutter and stammer around him. Her blushes whenever he was in the immediate vicinity. Her inability to string a coherent sentence around him._

 _Oh. My. Gosh._

 _The_ _ **posters**_ _in her room. They were everywhere._

 _How did I not notice?_

 _And I thought she was just a fan._

 _._

He groaned and sank to the ground under the weight of all these revelations. "I'm such an idiot," he muttered, running his hands through his already messy hair.

"Chat Noir?" Marinette asked timidly. "Are you okay?"

 _No. No he was NOT okay._

He stood up rather dazedly, and glanced at the girl in front of him. A blush heated up his cheeks as he realized that his Lady- his Princess- may have an obsession to rival that of his own.

"It's really late. I- I ought to go now." He jumped up onto the railing.

"But we haven't finished talking yet!" She protested.

"Later, Princess." He turned around, ready to leap off into the darkness, before remembering something.

He jumped down again and made his way over to her. In a move neither of them anticipated, he leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Sleep well, lovebug."

Before she could retaliate, he was gone.

.

.

Marinette sank to the floor, cheeks bright red as Tikki flew out of the hatch. "Marinette?" She poked her when she didn't respond right away.

"Chat Noir! That! That insufferable flirt!" the girl protested hotly, stomping back into her room.

"You liked it though, didn't you?" Tikki said slyly.

Her holder's red face as she turned hastily away said it all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

* * *

Adrien nearly danced all the way back home.

His Lady was Marinette! And she loved him!

Well, _Adrien-_ him, not _Chat_ -him, but still!

He released his transformation and flopped into his bed with a happy sigh. Plagg materialized above him, floating lazily. "You're going to be extra sappy now, aren't you?" He said sarcastically.

"Marinette loves _me,"_ the blond model said with another love-struck sigh, effectively ignoring the face-palming kwami. "My Lady _loves_ me!" He let out a rather high-pitched squeal.

"Yeah, yeah," Plagg said indifferently, "Too bad you've been friend-zoning her these past two years."

Adrien stiffened. As if on cue, memories began to play inside his head like a movie.

.

.

 _Who, Marinette? She's just a friend!_

 _Marinette? She's a very good friend!_

 _"_ _I'm so glad you're my fan, Marinette."_

 _"_ _You don't look a thing like Ladybug."_

 _._

 _._

His face burned bright red in embarrassment and he resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall. "Plagg!" He whined at the now- hysterically laughing kwami.

"Watching you two dorks dance around each other is _hilarious,"_ Plagg cackled. "Almost as fun as eating Camembert." He added.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Adrien grumbled.

Suddenly an after-thought hit him and he sat up in shock.

"I never told her who I am!" He realized in dismay.

"Will she want to know who you are?" Plagg pointed out, and Adrien gulped. _That's true. Ladybug was all professionalism and responsibility. She wouldn't want him to reveal his identity, now that hers was on the line...  
_

"Then I've just got to….. make her realize who I am," he decided.

"Dude, just tell her. Saves all the trouble," Plagg said bluntly.

"No, Plagg. Don't you see? I've got to make her _see_ the real me! Only then will she know who exactly she's in love with!"

"And what if she stops loving you when she finds out you're Chat Noir?" Plagg asked, eyebrows raised.

"I- I don't know but- that's a chance I've got to take! Besides, Marinette isn't that shallow," he said, trying to appear confident.

But in reality, the thought of Marinette-Ladybug- not loving him, made him feel like throwing up.

 _I'll never know until I try though…._

 _._

Plagg eyed him curiously as he struggled with his internal conflicts, but chose not to give his opinion.

After a while, Adrien spoke again. "Should I act like Adrien while I'm Chat Noir, or should I act like Chat Noir while I'm Adrien?" At Plagg's raised eyebrows, he hastened to explain. "To make Marinette more aware of my self, I need to _act_ like it!"

Plagg cackled deviously. This was going to be great. A great disaster, but _great,_ nonetheless.

"How about both? He offered. "Then she has to figure out why both of you are acting differently." _Oh, this was going to be good._

"You're right!" Adrien exclaimed. "Thanks, Plagg!"

Plagg grinned to himself as he went to look for his Camembert.

 _The next few weeks are going to be FUN._

 _A disaster, more like-_

 _But_ FUN _!_

* * *

"Tikki! Chat Noir found out my identity!" Marinette exclaimed for the hundredth time in an hour. Tikki sighed.

"We've been through this, Marinette," she said patiently.

"How are _you_ so calm? Weren't you the one who insisted on keeping our identities secret?" the frazzled girl's voice rose rather hysterically.

"Well, I couldn't possibly anticipate such an incident," Tikki said sensibly. "Hawkmoth's akumas seem to be getting stronger," she mused thoughtfully.

Marinette spun around, eyes wide. "You don't think _Hawkmoth_ knows my identity, do you?" she demanded.

"Only if he had got hit," Tikki said. "Which he didn't!" she added reassuringly as Marinette began to slowly freak out.

"Marinette." she flew right up into the girl's face, forcing her to look at her. "It's not that big of a deal! Chat Noir said he was happy it was you! Remember?"

"So _that's_ why he was acting all weird after he got hit," Marinette realized. "Ughh!" She clutched her hair in tension. "I'm so worried... there are so many things that could go wrong, now that he knows who I am!"

"And there are so many things that could go right, too!" Tikki chirped optimistically. "Be positive, Marinette!"

Marinette felt her tension ebb away a little at Tikki's cheerful demeanor. "You're right, Tikki," She gave her a small smile. "Although, I wish that I had some say in this," she huffed. "It's _my_ identity, after all."

"Akumas don't exactly _ask_ to attack, Marinette," Tikki giggled. "Speaking of which... are you going to let Chat Noir tell you his identity?" she inquired curiously.

"No," Marinette said decidedly. "It's already dangerous enough as it is. I can't afford to take any more risks."

Tikki was disappointed, but she couldn't tell her holder what she knew. "Alright."

"He really loves you, though," she added knowingly, a glint in her dark eyes. "He loves all of you, Marinette!"

Marinette didn't reply, but the smile that graced her features and the warmth that spread through her heart was clear indication of her feelings.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

* * *

Marinette didn't know what had come over Adrien.

The blond model seemed to change overnight. One day he was his normal, friendly self, and suddenly the next he did a 360°-turn and started acting _totally_ different.

 _Almost like Chat._

 _._

She sank deeper into her seat as images of the previous day came to her mind.

Marinette had been chatting with Alya and Nino when Adrien entered the class. He greeted her good morning and she blushed, as usual. But it didn't end there….

Her heart rate spiked as she remembered what transpired next.

.

 _Flashback~_

 _Adrien stepped up to her desk, eyes trained on her as she willed her heart to calm down and function properly._

 _"_ _Marinette, good morning," his voice was honey and velvet as he stared at her with-dare she call it? adoration in his eyes. "You look beautiful today."_

And that was the precise moment when her soul decided to leave her body and ascend to heaven.

She didn't even hear the whispers and nudges of her classmates behind her.

.

Slapping her hand over her red cheeks to try and unsuccessfully diffuse the heat in them, she pointedly ignored Alya, who was grinning at her knowingly.

"Girl! What did you do to Adrien?"

"What do you mean? You should be asking what Adrien is doing to _me!_ I can't handle all this flirtatiousness!" Marinette bemoaned.

Alya's amused rejoinder was cut off by Nino's cheerful voice. "Hey bro! Good morning!"

Nino's voice jolted Marinette out of her thoughts as the aforementioned model entered the classroom, suave as always. He smiled at her and then-

He winked.

Adrien Agreste, famous supermodel and love of her life, _winked_ at _her._

Her cheeks heated up in a fierce blush and Marinette hoped he didn't notice it. The amusement in his bright green eyes, however, gave away the fact that he had.

She buried her face in her hands when he turned around, trying to repress a squeal of pure delight from escaping her.

"See?" Alya nudged her. "What happened between you two?" the ever-observant reporter asked suspiciously.

"Gah! I don't _know_!"

.

.

And here she had thought finding about her partner's secret identity would be life-changing.

 _Her partner._ Marinette's haywire emotions stilled, all of a sudden, as thoughts of Chat Noir came, unbidden, into her focus. _He_ hadn't been acting like himself either. Now that he knew she was Ladybug, he had been visiting her in the evenings to cha- to _talk-_ and she rather liked this new arrangement. _However-_

Chat Noir was acting totally different, too. Gone were his trademark flirty advances. He would pun sometimes, now and then, and she would react with _her_ trademark eyeroll, but-

He was behaving so- _nice._ Kind of like-

 _Adrien._

Not the current I'm-going-to-kill-you-with-my-hotness Adrien, the sweetheart, I'll-take-a-bullet-for-you Adrien.

Adrien was acting like Chat Noir and Chat Noir was acting like Adrien and it was messing with her head!

* * *

Back at home, after school, Marinette's eyes widened as a particularly horrible thought surfaced. "Tikki! You don't think it's an akuma, do you! An akuma that somehow switched Chat Noir's and Adrien's bodies!"

Tikki didn't know what to say, so she settled on a safe bet. "I've never seen any akumas with such a power." she sidelined the topic.

"But they're both acting so- weird! And it's so confusing!" the harangued girl wailed. "It's messing with my head _and_ my heart!"

"Why don't you just talk to him- err, them?" Tikki offered.

"And what will I say? _Oh Adrien, you're acting like Chat Noir and it's confusing my heart so please stop doing that?"_ she deadpanned.

Tikki coughed and looked behind Marinette.

"He's behind me, isn't he?" the girl asked resignedly.

.

"Hahahaha!" Chat laughed loudly as he swung down into Marinette's room. "You, lovebug, are a _gem." There was that sweet smile and that LOOK again!  
_

"Sh-Shut up!" Marinette said defensively, crossing her arms over her chest as Tikki giggled knowingly. "And stop calling me lovebug!" she added, annoyed.

 _I take it back. Chat Noir isn't sweet at all!_

"So, boy problems, huh?" His smile was genuine and so _Adrien_ and Marinette couldn't.

With a cough, she turned away, pretending to busy herself tidying up her desk. "Nothing that _you_ need to worry about."

"Aren't you going to tell him?" he asked out of the blue.

Marinette quirked a confused eyebrow at him over her shoulder. "Tell who what?"

"Aren't you going to tell Adrien that you love him?" His voice was sincere and curious and a bit-pleading? As if almost- he _wanted_ her to tell Adrien.

Somehow, the thought of him no longer caring for her _hurt._

Marinette spun around sharply. "What? That's none of your business!"

She regretted her harsh tone when she saw his crestfallen face.

Sighing, she plopped down beside him on her chaise, looking up at him from under her bangs. "It's just that," she said more gently, "You're so brave and you have the courage to, umm, say what's on your mind no matter the situation. But I can't."

"You're brave too," he said softly after a beat of silence, looking at her in a way that made her stomach flutter. "You're Ladybug after all."

"Who knew confessing your feelings would be more difficult than saving the world, right?" she quipped half-heartedly, and he laughed.

"You're right about that."

They relaxed into a comfortable silence, and then Chat spoke up.

"Marinette?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I show you my identity?" His tone was hopeful and pleading.

Marinette released a sigh. "Chat- we already spoke about this."

"I know, but-"

She interrupted him. "It's already dangerous that you know my identity, and then revealing yours as well would be more than that!"

His eyes narrowed. "Are you saying you don't trust me?"

"No, I'm not! This isn't about trust, it's about our safety!" she replied, frustrated. _Why couldn't he understand?_

Their voices became heated now, and Tikki looked from one to the other, distraught, but not daring to interrupt.

"I already know your identity! It doesn't make much difference now!" his voice rose.

"It does! It does make a difference! You're acting all sweet and kind and if I see your real self I may fall in love with you!"

There was a deathly silence in the room after Marinette's slip-up. Breathing heavily, the two regarded each other with shocked eyes.

The secret superheroine covered her hand with her mouth in horror. "Oops."

" 'Oops' is right," Chat Noir grabbed her hand and pulled her closer, a positively feral glance in his eyes. Marinette shivered involuntarily. "Now there's no way you can prevent me from showing you who I am."

Closing his eyes, he laid a passionate kiss on her mouth as the bright green light of his detransformation surrounded them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

As the light of Chat Noir's detransformation faded away, Marinette was acutely aware of Chat's lips upon hers, and his now-bare hands which cupped her face, guiding her closer. She shuddered at his touch, feeling herself melt under his embrace. Her eyes involuntarily closed as an unmasked Chat continued to pour out all his affection through his kisses.

He kissed her like she was his everything, and for a moment, Marinette let herself revel in those feelings.

She was barely aware of the scuffling sounds and Tikki's shushes in the background.

But then, all too soon, she remembered their argument, and pushed his face away, eyes still closed tight. "Chat Noir! Transform yourself right now!" Her voice was weak and breathless and she hated that _he_ reduced her to such a mess!

"Nope," was his cheeky reply, his voice tantalizingly familiar, and it made her already high heart rate accelerate even further. "Not a chance."

"Chat-" her warning was cut off as he pulled her closer, and began to place kisses on her eyes, her cheeks, all over her face, reveling in the way her skin burned beneath his lips.

"I won't stop kissing you if you don't open your eyes," he said warningly and she nearly died of embarrassment and pleasure.

"Fine!" Breaking away from his arms again with a huff, she opened her eyes-

And looked into Adrien's smirking face.

She shrieked and jumped away from him, missing the way a frown obscured his features. "Adrien! Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh! _You're- You're_ Chat Noir! _?"_

"At your service, my Lady." He bowed and then ran a hand through his hair rather nervously, glancing shyly at her.

She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes widening in shock, too surprised to even think.

 _What? But how?_

Suddenly, the events of the past few days came to her mind and a surge of anger overtook her. Tears threatened to sting her eyes.

"You were making fun of me," She said, voice deadly low, not quite wanting to believe her own words.

He looked instantly bewildered. "What do you mea-"

Her voice was hysterical as she cut him off. "You thought it would be _hilarious_ to make me fall for you as Adrien _and_ as Chat Noir! I bet you were secretly congratulating yourself when I told you all about my obsession for you!"

"What! No! I just- Bugaboo, I-"

"Don't call me that!" she snapped. "Did you know how torn I was? Between you two? I thought I was being a jerk for loving two people at the same time!" her voice broke and she started sniffling.

Adrien crossed the room and, with some difficulty, pulled her into a hug.

"That was never my intention," he whispered into her hair when she finally stopped struggling. "I just- I just wanted you to start seeing me for the person I really was. I just wanted you to love both sides of me, not just the side you know."

"And besides," he added as an afterthought, stroking her hair gingerly to calm her down, "To be honest, you never gave me the chance to tell you who I was either."

A long silence, followed by a sniffle. "Looks like we both were at fault, huh?" A muffled voice spoke against his chest.

"We were." He pulled away from her, wiping away the tears that stained her face. "No more secrets?" He said quietly.

"No more secrets," Marinette agreed, before suddenly grabbing his face and kissing him soundly.

When they broke away, breathless and blushing, neither could quite look the other in the eye.

"So….." Marinette said shyly, playing with her fingers.

"So?" Adrien prompted, hopefully.

"Would you…. er, you know, like to…..try this whole dating thing?" she squeaked out.

Adrien's face heated up. _Gosh, she was adorable._

"I would very much love to try this whole dating thing," he smiled at her and she smiled back, entwining their hands together.

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

"I thought we already established that?" she asked teasingly, with a sudden spurt of confidence.

"Yeah, well, just to be official." He chuckled. He tried to act cool and nonchalant, but she could feel his anxiety.

"Yes," she smiled at the way his entire body seemed to relax. "Silly kitty." She giggled. "Making me fall for you in and out of the mask."

"I knew your plan would be a disaster," Plagg flew out, rubbing his arms which Tikki had held captive.

"But it turned out right in the end," he retorted.

"Hey, Adrien?" Marinette questioned.

"Yes?"

"Wǒ ài nǐ."

.

.

.

"I love you too."


End file.
